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Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler Rob Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American film and television actor. He garnered fame after appearing in such films as , , , , , , and . On television, he played on and Senator on . He is currently appearing Parks and Recreation as Chris Traeger, but is scheduled to leave in October 2013. Early life Lowe was born in , the son of Barbara Lynn (née Hepler), a schoolteacher and native of , and Charles Davis Lowe, a trial lawyer.[2] His parents divorced when Lowe and his younger brother, actor , were very young. Lowe also has two half-brothers. Because of a virus during infancy, he is deaf in his right ear (he later played a deaf character in 's ). Lowe was baptized into the .[3] He is of English, Irish, German,[4] Welsh, and Scottish descent. He was raised in a "traditional midwestern setting"[3] in Dayton, Ohio, attending Oakwood Junior High School, before moving to the Point Dume area of Malibu, California with his mother and brother.[5][6]He attended , the same high school as opera singer Rick Piersall and fellow actors , , , and and .[7][8] Early career Lowe at the Governor's Ball party after the One of Lowe's earliest roles came in the 1983 TV film , for which he received his nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film. His first big screen debut, and consequently his breakthrough, came in 1983, when he and were cast in 's . Lowe played the role of Sodapop Curtis, the brother of the main character Ponyboy Curtis ( ) and Darrel Curtis ( ). Lowe and Estevez reunited in , making them the two more prominent actors from the group known as the . followed, with (who had starred with Lowe in St. Elmo's Fire). He then received his second nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the mentally disabled Rory in (1987). Later work Television Lowe is also known for playing in the television series from 1999 to 2003. His performance in the show garnered Lowe a nomination[9] and two nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Lowe was drawn to the role because of his personal love of politics, and his longstanding personal relationship with , who was cast as President . When the show premiered, Seaborn was considered the lead, and the pilot centered on the character. But the acclaimed cast of the show—including , , , , , (whose President was initially scripted as a small role) and (whose was initially scripted as a guest role)—meant that Sam Seaborn could no longer be considered the lead character. While he reluctantly accepted his demotion, Lowe and series creator soon found themselves at odds over the network's meddling with the show, most notably the network demanding changes in the Sam Seaborn character. Eventually, Lowe left the series, not long before Sorkin and director/executive producer unceremoniously quit over a dispute with . During the final season of The West Wing, Lowe returned to his role of Sam Seaborn, appearing in two of the final four episodes. In 2011, Lowe appeared on and stated that he left the show because he did not feel he was being respected, when the other lead characters received a raise and he did not.[10] After leaving the show, Lowe was star and executive producer of a failed NBC drama, (2003). In 2004, he tried again in a series entitled , but it also was quickly canceled. In 2005, he starred as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in a London West End production of Sorkin's play , the first time the two had worked together since The West Wing. Although Lowe had expressed unhappiness about his decreased role on that show at the time of his departure, he has now repeatedly said that any animosity between them is over and that he was pleased to be working once more with Sorkin, whose talents as a writer Lowe highly regards. Lowe passed on the role of of , which eventually went to .[11] Despite his two canceled TV series and flops like View From the Top and the made-for-TV movie Perfect Strangers during his post–''West Wing'' run, Lowe found success in the TV miniseries genre. 2004 marked his return to this genre; he had appeared in 1994's , based on 's book of the same name. In 2004 Lowe starred in the TNT remake of the Stephen King miniseries which was the highest rated cable program of that summer and the highest ratings TNT original programming had at the time. In 2005 Lowe starred in the miniseries on the Lifetime network, based on the novel of the same name. The series premiere received the highest ratings for a movie premiere in Lifetime history. In that same year, Lowe filmed his critically acclaimed role as super movie agent in the 2006 independent film . In 2006 he filmed The Perfect Day for TNT, in which he took a pay cut to film in in order to help the hurricane-ravaged area. That same year, Lowe filmed , the sequel to the 1999 thriller . In 2006, it was announced that Lowe would join the cast of for a guest run of several episodes. In January 2007, ABC announced that Lowe would be staying on Brothers and Sisters as a "special guest star" for the rest of Season 1 after Lowe's initial appearance on the show in November 2006 brought the best ratings and demographic showing for the show since its premiere. Soon after ABC announced an early Season 2 renewal for Brother & Sisters in March 2007, Lowe announced he would be returning for the show's second season. He continued to appear in the series until the end of the 2009–2010 season. Unhappy with the stories and his lack of screen time in the fourth season, Lowe announced he would leave. In an episode broadcast on May 16, 2010, his character was part of a multi-vehicle crash involving a large truck and was put into a , the storyline was wrapped up in the first episode of the fifth season; Lowe did not appear in the episode. In June 2006, he was the guest host for an episode in the third series of for the United Kingdom's Channel 4. Lowe has also appeared in a televised advertisement for 'Visit California', along with other celebrities including Governor . (In the advertisement campaign, he was usually pictured in a white tee-shirt printed with the California state flag.) Lowe had a supporting role in the 2009 movie and a leading role in Too Late to Say Goodbye. In 2010, he appeared in the biography of the called: Brat Pack: Where Are They Now? He also appeared on . Lowe is currently teaming up with to produce a reality series entitled Potomac Fever about young adults living in [12] In July 2010, it was announced that Lowe would be providing the voice for the superhero in the upcoming animated series, .[13] It was also announced in July 2010 that Lowe would become a series regular on the series Parks and Recreation.[14] In 2011, Lowe guest starred in a recurring role on comedy '' . Lowe featured as the troubled but in-demand actor Eddie Nero – a character based upon "about ten people", according to Lowe[15] but somewhat contradicted by sources at Showtime itself[16] – employed to portray Hank in a film version of his book, Fucking and Punching.[17] Other works In 2011, Lowe wrote a memoir titled Stories I Only Tell My Friends, which was released in May 2011.[12][18] During his promotional tour for Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Lowe told n radio show that during his five-day press visit to Australia in 1990, he was so badly affected by the overuse of that the only two things he remembers from the trip was being at the and getting a , [19] although he states in his book that he does not remember getting the tattoo. Personal life Lowe is a fan of the [20] and the .[21][22] Family and relationships Lowe, a little-known actor at the time, and actress briefly met at age 14 in 1978 in the halls of the CBS Television Studios. In 1981, when both were 17, Gilbert spotted Lowe stopped at the red light next to her car and the two began dating.[23] During the filming (1984), Lowe began an affair with . In Gilbert's 2009 autobiography, Prairie Tale: A Memoir, she talks about sleeping with Lowe's then-best friend, , while Lowe was away filming. According to Gilbert, she caught Lowe in Kinski's hotel room and then slept with Cusack out of revenge. Lowe broke up with Gilbert in 1986 when he began dating , but when the relationship with the princess ended, Gilbert and Lowe reunited. The two quickly got engaged and were to be married in the summer of 1987. But when Gilbert informed Lowe that she was pregnant, he broke up with her for good. She miscarried several days later.[24] Lowe married makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff in July 1991. They met each other in 1983 on a blind date, and again in 1989 when Lowe was filming .[25] The couple have two sons: Matthew Edward Lowe (b. 1993), and John Owen Lowe (b. 1995). Sex tape controversy In 1988, Lowe was involved in a over a videotape of him having sex with two women, one of whom was 16 and the other 22. They were filmed with Lowe during the night before the , Georgia. Lowe has asserted that he did not know that the second girl was , and it was confirmed that the two had met at a bar.[26] At the time, Lowe was campaigning for .[27] Another part of the same tape was leaked at the time, showing Lowe and his friend Justin Moritt, later the , both having and with a young American named Jennifer, in a hotel room in . This part of the original tape was sold as one of the first commercially available s, damaging his .[28] Eventually, his career rebounded and Lowe mocked his own behavior during two post-scandal appearances as host of . Nanny lawsuit cases In April 2008, Lowe filed separate lawsuits against three former employees accusing them of breach of contract, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Lowe accuses an ex‑nanny of engaging in a scheme to hurt the couple by spreading "malicious lies". Another ex‑nanny was accused of falsely claiming to have had a personal and intimate relationship with Lowe, and also repeatedly expressing romantic interest in Lowe, claiming Lowe sexually harassed her and that Sheryl Lowe was an abusive employer. Rob Lowe claimed a former chef engaged in sex on their bed with third parties when the family was out of town, stole prescription drugs from the Lowes, broke several security cameras, overcharged them for food, and allegedly made statements to various people that Sheryl Lowe was heartless, cold and unclean.[29] Jessica Gibson, 24-year-old former nanny for Lowe, made 12 allegations against Lowe involving claims and labor-code violations. On June 19, 2008, , Judge Denise de Bellefeuille dismissed two allegations regarding labor-code violations due to lack of legal basis.[30] The legal battle ended in May 2009, the press reported that court records showed that lawsuits filed by both nannies and Lowe were dismissed in Santa Barbara. Attorneys for both women and Lowe sought the dismissals.[31] Philanthropy Lowe was the first male spokesperson for the 2000 fundraiser, which raises millions of dollars for research and education. His grandmother and great-grandmother both suffered from breast cancer, and his mother died of the disease in late 2003.[32][33] Lowe is a founder of the Homeowner's Defense Fund, a Santa Barbara County non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to local control of land-use planning and transparency in government. The average price of tract homes in Santa Barbara in early 2006 was US$1,100,000, which motivated some to propose denser housing on existing lots. While in favor of increasing housing density, Lowe sought to build a 14,260-square-foot (1,325 m2) mansion for himself in .[34] His protest over the appearance of the address of the empty lot in the precipitated a mass resignation of senior employees at that newspaper on July 6, 2006,[35][36][37] and was a proximate cause of . Filmography Film Television References #'^' "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1251): 25. Mar 22, 2013. #'^' "Rob Lowe profile at FilmReference.com". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2011-11-25. #^ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Lowe#cite_ref-guardian_3-0 a''] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Lowe#cite_ref-guardian_3-1 ''b] Fanshawe, Simon (March 23, 2002). "Pretty witty". The Guardian (London). Retrieved May 22, 2010. #'^' Stated on Who Do You Think You Are?, April 27, 2012 #'^' Vanity Fair, Rob Lowe on His Early Years as an Actor, His Friendships with the Sheens and Tom Cruise, and the Movie that Launched His Career, The Outsiders March 29, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2012. #'^' New York Times, He's Handsome — You Noticed? — but Not Just April 20, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2012. #'^' Oprah.com, Stories Rob Lowe Only Tells His Friends April 28, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2012. #'^' Lowe, Rob. Stories I Only Tell My Friends. 2011. #'^' Rob Lowe Emmy Award Winner #'^' "Rob Lowe on 'West Wing' departure – KARIN TANABE | POLITICO CLICK". Politico.com. April 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-25. #'^' Keck, William (November 17, 2006). "Lowe back in politics". USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2010. #^ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Lowe#cite_ref-TVGuide.com_12-0 a''] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Lowe#cite_ref-TVGuide.com_12-1 ''b] "Rob Lowe to Write Memoir, Produce Reality TV". TVGuide.com. #'^' CCI: Shazam! Rob Lowe To Voice Captain Marvel In Young Justice « Spinoff Online – Covering TV, Film and Entertainment News Daily. Spinoff.comicbookresources.com (July 22, 2010). Retrieved January 19, 2011. #'^' Rice, Lynette. (July 30, 2010) Rob Lowe joins 'Parks and Recreation' as a series regular | Inside TV | EW.com. Insidetv.ew.com. Retrieved January 19, 2011. #'^' "Californication: Rob Lowe on Californication". Californication. Showtime. Retrieved August 11, 2011. #'^' Porter, Rick. "Rob Lowe IS Brad Pitt on 'Californication'". From Inside the Box. Zap2It. Retrieved August 11, 2011. #'^' Bierly, Mandi. (April 26, 2010) Rob Lowe to guest on 'Californication': Another reason to be happy he's leaving 'Brothers & Sisters' | PopWatch | EW.com. Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved January 19, 2011. #'^' "Exclusive: Rob Lowe Opens Up: The Brat Pack, Love, Sex, Scandal, Sobriety". Oprah.com. April 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-25. #'^' Lowe, Rob (May 31, 2011). Celebrity interview. Interview with The Kyle & Jackie O Show. Today Network. 2DayFM. Sydney, Australia. #'^' Rob Lowe's a Traveling Indianapolis Colts Fan – ABC News. Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved January 19, 2011. #'^' Shirley, Dave. "Rob Lowe Is Literally The Biggest OKC Thunder Fan in the World". Deadspin.com. Deadspin.com. Retrieved June 24, 2012. #'^' McDonnell, Brandy. "Rob Lowe visits Oklahoma City to see Thunder-Lakers game, National Memorial". The Daily Oklahoman. The Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved June 24, 2012. #'^' Prairie Tale, by Melissa Gilbert, 2009, p. 112. #'^' Prairie Tale, by Melissa Gilbert, 2009, p. 195. #'^' "Rob Lowe". Yahoo! TV. Retrieved July 25, 2012. #'^' Green, Michelle (March 19, 1990), "Rob Lowe's Tale of the Tape", People 33 (11): 58–65 #'^' Berens, Jessica (July 8, 2001). "Lowe profile". The Observer. Retrieved August 7, 2010. #'^' Ogunnaike, Lola (March 19, 2006). "Sex, Lawsuits and Celebrities Caught on Tape". New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2011. #'^' Dodd, Johnny. (April 7, 2008) Rob Lowe Lawsuit Claims Ex-Employee Had Sex on His Bed, Stole Prescription Drugs. People.com. Retrieved January 19, 2011. #'^' Lee, Ken (June 19, 2008). "Judge Dismisses Two Claims Against Rob Lowe". People. Retrieved June 19, 2008. #'^' Rob Lowe Ends Fight With Second Nanny ABC. May 14, 2009 #'^' Merriam, Kan (October 2 2000). "Millions Join Breast Cancer Crusade Americans to Rally in Denim On Lee National Denim Day(R) October 6th". Retrieved December 29 2012. #'^' "How to Cope With Breast Cancer". CNN. September 15 2000. Retrieved December 29 2012. #'^' Santa Barbara County Planning and Development. Applications.sbcountyplanning.org. Retrieved January 19, 2011. #'^' Rainey, James (July 7 2006). "5 Editors, Columnist Quit in Santa Barbara". LA Times. Retrieved 29 December 2012. #'^' Roderick |, Kevin (July 13 2006). "Dueling versions in Santa Barbara". www.laobserved.com. Retrieved December 29 2012. #'^' [http://www.webcitation.org/5PLw24OSn American Journalism Review], December 2005/January 2006, (archived in WebCite on June 4, 2007) #'^' Bollywood/Hockey Drama Break Away stars filming with Lowe, Belle Indie Wire. September 28, 2010 #'^' "Rob Lowe Suffered Migraines to Transform His Handsome Face for 'Behind the Candelabra'". Yahoo! TV.com. Retrieved 2013-04-09. External links *Rob Lowe at the Internet Movie Database *Rob Lowe at AllRovi *Rob Lowe at Emmys.com Category:Actors